The Heterogeneity of Self-Employment: The Example of Asians in the United States

Self-employment rates differ widely across industries and across racial and ethnic categories. The heterogeneity of self-employment is most pronounced among Asians working in the U.S. The self-employment rate of Koreans is almost eight times greater than the self-employment rate of Laotians. This paper examines the pattern of self-employment across more narrowly defined classifications of Asians and industries to illustrate the heterogeneity of self-employment, and discusses the implications of this heterogeneity. Copyright Springer 2005